Senate president Hun Sen has shared his regret that Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has caused the 30-year friendship between him and Thaksin Shinawatra to come to an end. He also apportioned blame for stalled border issue resolutions to her “dishonesty” and “insults toward her negotiating counterpart”.
Speaking on June 27 from Preah Vihear province, Hun Sen described what he called the erratic behaviour of Paetongtarn, who he said disrespected even her own military and provided misleading information to the Thai public, contradicting what was discussed in a phone conversation.
He recounted that on June 15, he received a call from Paetongtarn, during which both parties agreed to “adjust” troops in the Mum Bei area – where a Cambodian was killed in a brief exchange of fire on May 28 – to reduce military tensions, without withdrawing troops. Both Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra applauded this decision. However, Paetongtarn later claimed that Cambodia had withdrawn troops from the disputed area.
During the conversation, she spoke ill of the Thai 2nd Army Region Commander, Boonsin Padklang, describing him as “trying to make himself look good”. After the conversation was leaked, Paetongtarn claimed it had been a “negotiation tactic”. Hun Sen considered this claim deceptive.
Additionally, the Thai prime minister publically decried the Cambodian leaders use of social media for communication, calling it unprofessional and a bid for popularity.
“Why did Ung Ing (Paetongtarn) insult her own general to please me, when in fact, I don’t need to know about your affairs? In Cambodia, such actions would amount to treason. Speaking with a foreign counterpart and attacking one’s own general — what value does that hold?” Hun Sen asked.
“In this world, it seems no one has yet succeeded in deceiving me or gained an advantage in negotiations with me,” he added.
He noted that Paetongtarn insulted him, even after he had helped Thaksin, her father, and Yingluck, her aunt, who sought refuge in Cambodia during a coup, even staying at his residence.
According to Hun Sen, another example of Thailand’s dishonesty is the way they attempt to deflect responsibility for online scams onto Cambodia, using it as a pretext for threats such as cutting off electricity, despite there being no connection from Thailand’s national grid to Cambodia’s.
He also stated that Thailand appears to lack the capacity to control the operations of scam networks, who are widely reported to use the neighbouring Kingdom as a transport hub to send people to nations like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Hun Sen called on Thai defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai to clarify claims about cutting off electricity to Cambodia.
He also reiterated that Cambodia is ready to normalise relations with Thailand, but not under Paetongtarn’s leadership. Cambodia’s sole condition for restoring bilateral relations and resolving border issues is for Thailand to fully reopen the border, he noted, adding that he urged that cross-border shootings be avoided to prevent war.
Regarding the relationship between his family and Thaksin’s, Hun Sen expressed his sadness that the friendship had ended.
“I regret that a 30-year friendship has been destroyed by my friend’s daughter,” he said.
